Denmark’s Mikkel Mathiesen yesterday fired a fabulous two-under-par 70 on another tough day at the Doha Golf Club to win the 36th Qatar Open Golf Amateur Championship by three strokes.
As golfers battled strong winds for the second consecutive day, Mathiesen fired two birdies for an aggregate of 218 to regain the title, which he won in 2019.
“It’s a great feeling. I wasn’t able to come back to defend my title in 2020 and I am happy to win this tournament again,” Mathiesen, a resident of Doha studying abroad, told reporters after winning the crown.
The 21-year-old said the last two rounds were a real test for golfers, saying he was happy for his consistent performance in the last two days despite the challenge.
“It was tough to play in these conditions and you have to trust your game as much as possible. You have to be patient and look for par and if you hit a birdie that’s really good,” said the Dane, who scored an identical 74 in the first two rounds.
“There were so many good players from different countries in the tournament. It was a strong field at Qatar Open this year,” he added.
By virtue of winning the title, Mathiesen has qualified for the European Tour’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters scheduled to be held in March.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Salhab finished runner-up after a gross of 221 as he shot one-over-par 73 including a birdie in the 16th hole.
Qatar’s Saleh Ali Al Kaabi, who led the first round with a two-under-par 70, finished third with a total of 224. He carded 72 in the final round. “I am happy with my overall performance,” said Al Kaabi.
“I shot 70 in the first round and finished with a par score of 70 in the final round. I only struggled in the second round because of strong winds. Everything went wrong for me in that round but that’s golf and it happens,” he added.
Norwegian Magnus Stjarnesund scored 75 yesterday to finish joint fourth with England’s Harvey Byers, who shot 76 for a total of 225.
Qatar’s defending champion Ali Al Shahrani had to content with sixth position after he finished the event with a score of 226 following a card of 75 in the final round.
“The conditions were tough because of strong winds but I think I played well, perhaps I was short of luck. The condition of the course is perfect and I hope I win here next time,” said the Qatari golfer.
“The tournament was very good as it saw participation of many foreign players. I am planning to play more tournaments in which I will give my best to achieve victories,” he added.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Mike Elliot (227) finished seventh followed by England’s Jeff Mathews and Saudi Arabia’s Saud Al Sharif, who finished joint 8th after an aggregate of 229. Another Englishman Jamies Gregory scored a total of 231 for 10th position.
As many as 118 golfers participated at the Qatar Open considered as one of the oldest sports events in the country.
Leading Scorers
1: Mikkel Mathiesen (DEN) 74, 74, 70 – 218
2: Faisal Salhab (KSA) 72, 76, 73 – 221
3: Saleh Ali Al Kaabi (QAT) 70, 82, 72 – 224
4: Magnus Stjarnesund (NOR) 74, 76, 75 – 225
4: Harvey Byers (ENG) 74, 75, 76 – 225
6: Ali Al Shahrani (QAT) 74, 77, 75 – 226
7: Mike Elliot (GER) 74, 79, 74 – 227
8: Jeff Mathews (ENG) 75, 78, 76 – 229
8: Saud Al Sharif (KSA) 71, 79, 79 – 229
10: Jamie Gregory (ENG) 74, 81, 76 – 232
11: Dinesh Kumar (SRI) 77, 79, 76 – 232
12: Azzan Al Rumhy (OMA) 74, 83, 80 – 237
13: Jake Wiltshire (ENG) 78, 86, 74 – 238
13: Dean Morris (UK) 76, 78, 84 – 238
15: Anwar Ali (IND) 79, 81, 80 – 240
16: Kittisak Sang-Orn (THA) 80, 78, 83 - 241
16: Dominic McGlinchey (SCO) 76, 81, 84 - 241
